TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin asked state sharia lender Bank Syariah Indonesia or BSI to seek other breakthroughs to boost the company’s competition both at domestic and global levels. According to him, various initiatives taken by BSI thus far have not been sufficient yet.

“They are not enough. We have to find other breakthroughs so that sharia banks are more competitive,” said Ma'ruf in his statement, Thursday, June 3, 2021.

Since the merger of state sharia banks, the VP said BSI gained positive responses from the public. However, many parties still considered Islamic finance products to be more expensive than conventional ones.

To change such a mindset, Ma'ruf Amin claimed that the government has been trying to propose a reduction in the burden of sharia financial income to 5 percent in the draft of Law on General Tax Provisions (KUP).

The BSI President Director Hery Gunardi, meanwhile, said the country’s largest sharia bank in the first quarter of 2021 booked several achievements, such as an asset growth up to above 14 percent. BSI also saw a hike in financing to more than 12 percent and a profit of 12.8 percent.

“These are challenges for all of us, on how to maintain good performance,” said Hery.

The BSI planned to open a branch office in Dubai. It also cooperated with the National Zakat Agency (Baznas) regarding the distribution of zakat and developed a new program to accommodate the rising number of hijrah communities through Generasi Syariah (Gen Sy) or sharia generation.

Read: Ma'ruf Amin Talks of Great Challenges of Developing Sharia Economy

FRANCISCA CHRISTY ROSANA